Friday, August 8, 2008

Paneer pakora... at 2am

I have trouble sleeping and am almost always up in the middle of the night. I've wanted to try making paneer pakora for ages since I really love it and there's no place to get it close to home. Since I just happened to have all the ingredients on hand I thought I'd give it a go tonight. It turned out fabulous though of course a bit heavy for a middle of the night snack. I am so excited that I made it successfully and that it was so easy to make!

If you're not familiar with it paneer is an Indian cheese with a very firm texture and a super mild flavor. It doesn't melt so it is good for frying.

This is my best estimation on how I made it; I wasn't following a recipe.

Slice the paneer into thin cubes. Dip each piece into flour and dust off excess. Heat canola oil in a deep pan. The depth of the oil should be a couple inches.

Put a cup or so of chickpea flour in a bowl. Add a spoonful of baking powder and a big pinch of salt. Add a couple spoonfuls of paprika and chili powder. Add a few drops of hot sauce. Whisk in enough water to make a thick batter.

Dip each piece of paneer in the batter and fry in the hot oil until golden brown. I served these with tortillas, as I did not want to make naan, and sweet and sour sauce mixed with hot sauce.

Next time I make these I will add much more chili powder so that they are spicier.